By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
JASON O’Neill thought no one else cared when he staged what turned out to be a solo protest against the controversial trawler Geelong Star at Corio Quay a couple of weeks back.
But the ship’s continuing failure to avoid killing dolphins and seals during its initial fishing operations made him sufficiently angry to take his dissent to social media.
“I put it up about 9pm at night and went to bed,” Mr O’Neill said.
“The next morning I’d had about 1000 notifications and people were sharing it everywhere.”
The refusal to let apathy win has resulted in an organised protest from 12pm Sunday at Geelong’s waterfront carousel.
A builder by trade, Mr O’Neill said he was unconnected to the fishing industry but “just wanted to have my say”.
“I put a call out to anyone likeminded and it’s gathering a lot of momentum. That ship doesn’t represent us.”
Mr O’Neill said he wanted Geelong Star to cease fishing operations altogether, citing doubts over the sustainability of its fishing quota – 16,500 tonnes in the small pelagic fishery stretching from Perth to Brisbane.
“There needs to be more science and studies undertaken to see what happens when these fish are taken out of their environment,” he said.
“I don’t trust the figures the government has been coming up with. Those figures can be fudged.
“Why trust the government when it comes to the environment? All politicians are about is votes – they want to dredge the Great Barrier Reef after all.”
Mr O’Neill said the restrictions placed on Geelong Star were insufficient “for something as fragile as the ecosystem”.
“I care about what legacy we leave our children. It just doesn’t sit well with that boat in port.”
